Council debates just cause labor laws in fast food industry
BY GRANT LANCASTER
New York City Council
Members debated the
merits of two pieces of
legislation last week that are intended
to offer fast food workers
more rights.
The first, Introduction 1396
sponsored by Council Member
Adrienne Adams, would require
that employers lay off their newest
workers first when layoffs are
necessary, with the intention of
protecting veteran employees.
Adams thinks that these new
conditions would give employees
more job security and dignity,
preventing them from being laid
off without justification, she said.
“We must continue to bring
accountability to fast food giants
and ensure security for their employees,”
Adams said.
The second legislation, Introduction
1415 sponsored by
Council Member Brad Lander,
would prevent fast food employers
from firing their workers without
a just cause, generally outlined as
economic damage to the employer.
The legislation also outlines any
reduction in hours by 15% or
more a week as akin to firing.
Lander thinks that in addition
Council Member Francisco Moya speaks Feb. 13 in favor of legislation intended to
make it illegal for fast food employers to fire their employees without just cause.
to offering more respect to workers,
the legislation gives them
more security to stand up for other
treatment issues, such as abuse,
misconduct or sexual harassment,
because it takes away the fear of
being fired in retaliation, he said.
“I think all workers should
have this protection, but fast food
workers are a good place to start,”
Lander said.
Lander thinks that the Council
Members will vote on the legislation
in the next few months,
after thoroughly considering the
concerns of citizens and other
Council Members, he said.
Council Member Eric Ulrich
spoke against the legislation because
he thinks the restrictions
on employers will make it harder
for them to hire and keep good
workers, he said.
Loralei Salas, Commissioner of
PHOTO BY GRANT LANCASTER
NYC Department of Consumer
and Worker Protection, spoke in
favor of the legislation, but she is
concerned that her department
does not have the resources to
enforce the new laws, she said.
“We want to make sure these
protections are real for workers,
and that will require additional
resources,” Salas said.
These laws would not affect
small businesses, a concern shared
by some opposing the legislation,
with the restrictions applying only
to chain restaurants with more
than 30 locations, Salas said.
Jessica Walker, president and
CEO of the Manhattan Chamber
of Commerce, and Kathleen Riley,
coordinator of NYC Government
Affairs for the New York State
Restaurant Association, both
spoke against the legislation because
they think it will negatively
affect the hiring process at fast
food restaurants.
Riley thinks that the new laws
will force restaurant owners to be
more specific about their hiring
decisions for fear of facing legal
consequences if they feel the need
to fire an underperforming employee,
and that will result in less
hires or more strenuous interview
processes for potential employees,
she said.
“Employers will take fewer
chances,” Walker said.
Riley also thinks that the legislation’s
stipulation that a 15%
reduction in hours was akin to
firing an employee was not realistic,
she said. In a 40-hour work
week, 15% would be six hours,
which could amount to less than
one shift a week for many workers,
she said.
Downtown Buildings Dept. office hit by fire
BY TODD MAISEL
A fire in a Department of
Buildings headquarters on
Monday afternoon caused
damage to several offices after computer
paper somehow caught fire,
FDNY officials said.
The fire was mostly contained to a
fifth floor storage area at 280 Broadway,
but was kept to a minimum by
the building sprinkler system that’s
a requirement in all commercial
buildings over 40 feet high, including
city-owned buildings.
No injuries were reported, though
traffic on Broadway at Chambers
Street was snarled for nearly an
hour.
The fire went to an “all-hands”
bringing in more than 50 firefighters
on scene, who conducted a search
throughout the building and were
able to establish that the offices
were safe to return. There were few
workers in the building because of
the Presidents Day holiday.
DOB officials did not respond as
to how much damage the offices may
have incurred.
The building, the former newspaper
headquarters for the New York
City Sun from 1833-1950, still has
the original clock on the building,
but hasn’t worked in years. The
Sun was resurrected from 2002 to
2008 by investor Conrad Black, but
then shut it down. The Department
of Buildings later established their
headquarters in the building, which
was made a landmark in 1986.
At one point, firefighters were
unable to remove a hose that was
connected to a fire truck. Efforts
to remove the hose resulted in the
hydrant exploding from underneath,
causing a geyser in front of the
building. It was quickly controlled,
though DEP would be called to
repair the hydrant.
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
Firefighters emerge from 280 Broadway where a fifth floor fire was contained
by sprinklers.
4 February 20, 2020 Schneps Media